On My Honor
by GoinDownSwinging
Summary: A/U: Jane gets caught up in a rogue arrest: how does her family respond?
1. The Incident

**Author's Note: So here's my dapple in a short multi-chaptered story, loosely based on a combination of events in my own life and my own imagination. It's mostly written, so I'll be posting it relatively quickly. Standard disclaimers apply. Rated T for some language. **

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><p>"Jane. You know that murder we've been workin' with Newton PD on? Nailed down the perp."<p>

"No shit!" Rizzoli pushed back from her desk, breaking out into a wide grin.

Frost gave a tight-lipped smile. "Kid named Mike Thomas. Don't wanna freak you out, but he goes to Boston Latin. Cavanaugh wants us to make the arrest during the school day; he's a flight risk."

Her grin quickly turned into a scowl. "Fuck. For real?"

"Yeah. You ready?"

The brunette grimaced. "Let's do this"

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><p>As Frost weaved in and out of Boston traffic, Jane shot a quick text to Maura:<p>

_Hey babe. iou for lunch. Bein' a badass, bustin' a perp. don't worry, it'll be fine. Love you"_

Jane stared out the windshield. "Maura is gonna kill me for not telling her it's at Olivia's school."

Frost glanced at his partner. "You didn't tell her?"

"She freaks out enough when she knows I'm makin' a bust, she doesn't need any more reason to hyperventilate."

"But…" Though Barry Frost didn't understand much about women, he knew there were certain things you should never do to a woman. Omitting information such as this was one of those things.

"Shut up and drive Frost" Jane's tone leaving no more room for negotiation.

Jane looked out the window again, jostling her phone in her hands. Her phone buzzed and she read the incoming text:

_Language, Jane. Be safe. I love you. _

The woman took a deep breath. _'Please let this just be a routine arrest'_ she whispered to herself as she readjusted her vest, her hand lingering over the pocket above her heart.

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><p>As they marched into the cafeteria, Jane's eyes immediately locked with her daughter's. Of course she'd have lunch the same period as this asshole.<p>

The detective brushed a finger across her lips; a move to indicate her daughter should act as if the two weren't connected. The last thing Jane needed was Mike Thomas to use Olivia as easy leverage with the detectives.

It happened quickly. One moment Jane was reciting the suspect's Miranda rights, the next she was wrestling with him on the floor, furiously working to remove the firearm in his hand.

The cafeteria was eerily silent, save for two gunshots sounding rapid fire. Frost lunged at the suspect, cuffing him as blood poured out of the gunshot wound on the perp's shoulder, a slew of profanities falling from Thomas' mouth. Simultaneously, a young girl's screams could be heard as she ran towards her mother.

"Oh God, Mom. Ma, are you okay? Where does it hurt? Hang on Ma please don't die. I love you." The teen frantically checked her mother's body, looking for the entry wound like her Momma had taught her during one evening in the morgue.

'_Fuck, Frost's a good shot'_ Jane thought as she silently thanked whatever higher being there was for her partner's accuracy and the suspect's lack thereof. "Livie. Shh… sweetheart he hit me in the vest. I'm okay. See." Jane grabbed her daughter's hand, placing it over her rapidly beating heart.

Relief flushed over the teenager, relief that quickly turned to anger. Olivia punched Jane in the arm. Hard. And repeatedly.

"Jesus Christ Ma, what the hell were you thinking? Didja really have to go all Chuck Norris on his ass. God you could have died!" Olivia shrieked, before breaking down into hysterics. "I could have watched you die!" she sobbed into her hands as Jane slowly sat up to wrap an arm around her daughter's shuddering shoulders.

They sat there as the flurry of activity whirled around them. Students filed out of the cafeteria, and paramedics worked to load the gravely injured Mike Thomas onto the gurney. A paramedic assessed Jane's condition; Olivia continued to weep quietly at her side, legs tucked up to her chest.

Jane tucked a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear. "Honey, we've gotta take a ride in the ambulance. A routine checkup for me, alright?"

Olivia shook her head vaguely but made no move to get up. The detective glanced at her partner, who nodded in understanding and moved in to pick up the shaking teen. It was her undoing, and the girl started sobbing uncontrollably all over again.

The paramedic patted Jane on the shoulder as they made their way to the ambulance. "She'll be okay ma'am. It's just the shock."

"Yeah. I'm all too familiar with it." Jane replied sadly, her mind drifting to a woman across town.

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><p>Maura was fidgeting. She never fidgeted, but she couldn't help it. It'd been over an hour since she last heard from Jane, and she couldn't shake the sinking feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. Her ringing phone pulled her out of her reverie and as she glanced at her caller ID, her heartbeat escalated.<p>

"Barry? Why isn't Jane calling? What happened?"

She barely registered Frost speaking to her, mind immediately racing back to that day oh so long ago. Jane's limp body crumpled on the pavement, begging her to stay alive. The screams, the long vigils at Jane's bedside…

"Doc. Doc. Jane's okay. She took one to the vest, but Olivia saw the whole thing. Both of 'em are pretty spooked. "

Maura looked down at her hands. Though clean, all she saw was Jane's blood on them.

"Olivia?" Maura squeaked.

Barry coughed. "Yeah see, the arrest was at her school. Happened in the cafeteria."

There was a very audible gasp at the other side of the line.

"Jane finally got the poor kid to calm down. She was screaming and crying all the way to the hospital. We're at Mass Gen."

"I'll be right there."

Maura hung up the phone, sinking down in her chair. A solitary tear rolled down her cheek. "Oh my."

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><p>Maura rushed into the hospital room, extremely relieved to see Jane perched on the edge of an examination table and Olivia sitting in a chair by her side, head resting on Jane's lap.<p>

"Oh thank goodness!" Maura exclaimed, running towards her family. She cupped her daughter's cheek, the other hand coming to rest on her wife's cheek. "You're both are okay" she whispered almost to herself, pressing a kiss to Jane's forehead as her daughter stood for a one armed hug.

"Momma, it was horrible!" Olivia whimpered into Maura's side. Jane's eyes darted from Olivia to Maura, guilt written across her face as she dropped her head against Maura's shoulder.

"I know, Livie. It's over now though, everything is fine." Maura soothed, deftly running her hands through both her daughter and wife's hair.

For a moment the Rizzoli clan relished in the silence of the room, each lost in their own thoughts. It was Maura who finally broke the moment.

"Liv, Uncle Barry was asking for you—he's heading to the cafeteria and needs a lunch companion."

The teen nodded, squeezing Maura once more before pulling away. "Want me to bring anything back?"

Maura, ever the caretaker, made one small request. "No, just make sure Barry doesn't load up on doughnuts please. Try to get something green on his plate."

Olivia peered at Jane fleetingly before shaking her head in the affirmative, leaving her parents alone.

Maura sighed and hopped up on the table beside Jane. The taller woman shifted, gingerly slumping against Maura's side.

"She punched me, Maur. She punched me and screamed at me and broke down sobbing. Frost had to carry her into the ambulance. She's never going to forgive me."

Maura nodded sympathetically. "She's scared Jane. She idolizes you. In her world, you're invincible. I know how she feels. I've…I've been in her shoes."

The brunette wrapped her arms around her wife's waist. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you the arrest was at Olivia's school. I didn't want you down in the morgue in a complete panic until you heard from me." Jane's voice cracked.

"Shhh…we'll talk later. Right now, I need to hold you". Wet tears dropped onto the detective's hair. Jane pressed a kiss to Maura's neck, murmuring against her skin a timid "thank you".

The women sat huddled together until Olivia poked her head back into the room, some time later.

"Uncle Barry ate a salad. The nutritional value was severely compromised by the absurd amount of ranch dressing he poured on it. Can we go home now? Please?"


	2. Maura and Olivia

**Authors Note**: **All standard disclaimers still apply. All errors are my own. I know I could have fleshed more out here, but again, this is just a short multi-chaptered dapple to get back into writing, so...hopefully ya'll can deal.**

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><p>Usually, a car ride with the Rizzoli family most certainly included lively conversation and light ribbing. Today, the stillness in the Mercedes SUV was deafening.<p>

Olivia was avoiding Jane. Maura kept a careful eye on both her wife and daughter as she expertly navigated the car home, and Jane quietly played with the Velcro flap of her vest's breast pocket. No one spoke, until they all clambered out of the car and into the house.

"Pizza for dinner?" Jane questioned as she shook the cell phone in her hand. Maura simply nodded as she bent down to attend to Bass while Olivia sulked off to her room.

Later, the three women sat huddled around the living room coffee table, watching a mundane reality show as they ate away the worries of the day. Shortly after they finished their meal, Olivia meekly turned to Jane.

"Ma? Do you think I could talk to Momma alone for a second?"

Jane smiled understandingly, though there was unmistakable sadness in her eyes. "Of course, Liv. I want to lay down for a bit anyway". She pushed herself off the couch, dropping a quick kiss to her wife's cheek before making her way to the bedroom.

As Jane crossed the living room threshold, Olivia called out after her. Jane turned just in time to catch her daughter as the teen launched herself into her mother's arms.

Wordlessly, mother and daughter embraced, their grips on each other vice-like. Peering over her daughter's head, Jane glanced at her wife, watery eyes meeting watery eyes.

After a long moment, Jane carefully extricated herself from the hug, tenderly nudging the teenager back to the couch. "Alright, go talk to your mother, she's lookin' pretty lonely over there" She offered a slight wink to Maura before leaving her family alone.

For a few minutes, Olivia sat curled up next to Maura. Knowing not to push the subject until the teen was ready, Maura simply ran her hand through her daughter's straight blonde hair.

Finally, Olivia broke the silence. "How do you do it?"

The Medical Examiner brushed her daughter's hair from her face, "How do I do what, Livie?"

"I always knew Ma had a dangerous job. But I figured…she's Mom. Loud, ridiculous. Tough. " She paused before letting out a small chuckle, "Annoying. Nothing ever gets in her way. And then today…"

The young girl burrowed into her mother's side, her next question coming out a tiny sob. "How do you live every day, wondering if Ma won't make it home?"

Maura's breath hitched, and she pressed a kiss to her daughter's temple, a gesture meant to comfort herself just as much as the girl.

"I'm afraid I haven't quite perfected a coping mechanism just yet."

"After all this time, _you_ haven't figured out how to deal yet?" Olivia asked disbelievingly.

The elder woman shook her head. "Some days are harder than others. But how do you ask the person you love to give up the thing that makes her, her?

"Even if that thing makes you crazy?"

"She's very aware of how difficult it is for me, and now, for you. That makes it a little easier to reconcile."

The teen pulled back from under her mother's arm. "What? How!"

"She would never do anything to hurt us; that means making sure she comes home. Sometimes it gets a little too close for comfort, but in all the years I've known her, she's never broken her promise to me. I don't anticipate her to start now." Maura weakly reasoned.

Olivia fell back into her mother's arms. "No. It's not fair. I already lost one set of parents once; I'm not ready to repeat the experience. Because this time, I'll actually remember it. It means something this time."

"Sweetheart…" Maura's heart broke. She was all too familiar with the plight of an adoptee.

"No!" the girl repeated louder, pushing away from Maura. "No. Why aren't we enough for her? Why does she need to hunt down bad guys, take all the stupid risks? Why can't she just sit behind a dumb desk?"

"We are enough for her though. She'd do anything for us. Hunting down bad guys so they can't get us. Taking a…" Maura paused, steadying her voice"…taking a bullet if it meant we didn't have to."

"Yeah well, if she wasn't a detective we wouldn't be in situations where we had to worry about taking bullets." Olivia spat bitterly.

"That's not fair Olivia and you know it."

"You don't understand what it was like, Momma."

Maura ran her hand through her hair, voice cracking. "I DO. Olivia, I get it. Ever wonder about the story behind those scars your mother has on her stomach and back? I've had her blood on my hands, Liv. I've sat at her bedside for days wondering if she'd ever wake up again. All right, I get it. You think this is the first time she's done something reckless like that in front of family? I've watched her do more stupid shit than you could possibly believe under the guise of protection."

Olivia's mouth dropped open at the rare expletive and minor outburst from her mother.

The woman exhaled as she sank back into the sofa cushion, looking more like a small child than an adult. "This is who she is, Olivia. She's all or nothing. She does what she does because she believes in justice. It's not an affront to us. And the guilt she feels after she gets herself in these situations? It eats her alive."

"I..." The teenager began, unsure of how to respond to the information just provided to her.

Maura ran a hand soothingly across her child's back. "It's not easy. She doesn't like it any more than we do. But at the end of the day, this is who she is. All we can do is hope that we never have to see her on the edge of death again. You can't stay angry at her for that."

"I'm sorry." Olivia muttered, swiping away tears from her cheeks.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to baby."

Olivia glanced up at Maura, noting the exhaustion covering every feature of her face. "Momma, you know if it had been you, I'd feel the same way, right? You're the glue that keeps this crazy family together."

"You two_ are_ a handful." Maura smirked, although her expression quickly softened "But I know."

The teen offered a toothy grin. "Good. 'cause for the record, I worry about you getting eaten by zombie corpses' sometimes. It's kinda awful…"

The Medical Examiner rolled her eyes. "I need to stop letting you and your mom pick the movies we watch…"

Laughing, Olivia pressed a kiss to Maura's cheek. "I love you. I can only hope to be as strong as you. I'm gonna go talk to Ma now." With a final pat to Maura's leg, the teen pulled herself up and out of the living room.

As Maura watched her daughter leave, she whispered into the quiet of the room: "I'm only barely hanging on."

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><p><strong>Authors Note 2: I know it might seem out of character for Olivia to not know about Jane and Maura's past with shootings, but in my experience, individuals in law enforcement who are also parents tend to shelter their kids from the gory parts of the job. At least, I know in my case they do. It's more common than you think. <strong>


	3. Jane and Olivia

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for all the kind reviews! I've never been one to beg for reviews, but they really do mean a lot to me when I do get 'em. One more chapter to go after this. **

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><p>"Are you crying?" Olivia took a tentative step into her parent's bedroom, her voice shaking with concern.<p>

Jane sniffed. "Allergies"

"Bullshit."

The detective clicked her tongue. "Hey-yo! If I have to watch my language, so do you, missy"

Olivia raised her hands in surrender. "How are you feeling"?

"A little sore" came the tired response.

The teen crawled into bed, resting on her side to face her mother. "You probably shouldn't be laying on the side that you got shot at then."

"Oh no, there's no bruising at all from the bullet. See, I got punched in the arm today and…" the lanky woman gently teased.

Olivia groaned, flopping onto her back. "I'm really sorry for how I reacted."

Jane placed a hand on her daughter's arm, watching her sadly. "No, kiddo, it's on me. You reacted just as any other person would have."

The women both stared at the ceiling, neither one knowing how to start the conversation that needed to be had. Suddenly, a meek voice cut through the air.

"Is it always that scary, Ma?"

Jane sighed. "It's always a little scary, but not for the reasons you think. This time, though? Well, this time was only the second time it was downright terrifying." Jane stood up, walking towards her discarded vest and carefully pulled out a faded picture from the breast pocket.

"The first family picture ever taken of us. The day we brought you home. Do you remember?" She questioned, handing her daughter the picture of the three of them. It was her favorite photograph; Olivia nestled between Jane and Maura, their backs all turned from the camera.

The teenager thumbed the tattered picture, looking a little sheepish. "Not really…I mean I was only three…"

Jane patted her daughter's knee as she sat back down on the bed, smiling softly.

"I think I was more petrified than you were that day. Man, you were on Maur like glue while we packed up your things. You avoided me though. Probably because I still smelled like puke from all the times I vomited before we came to take you home." Jane brought her hand up to her face, pinching her pointer finger and thumb together and squinting her eye. "You were this close to giving me a complex."

For the first time since the incident, her daughter genuinely laughed. Jane almost melted from relief and happiness.

"We were standing at the desk, finishing up signing the papers to officially release you into our custody when you toddled over and tugged on my blazer. I knelt down and your little bottom lip was trembling…" Jane stopped, rubbing the tears out of her eyes.

When she continued, her voice was thick with emotion. "You wrapped your arms around my neck and whispered you were scared. I scooped you up and rocked you as we both cried, and then your Momma cried with us…the three of us huddled as a family. Somewhere in that estrogen-fest, the social worker took a picture of us." Jane laughed sullenly.

The brunette began squirming, uncomfortable crying so freely in front of her daughter but unable to stop. Her voice faltered. "No matter how old you get, you're my little girl. The little girl who used to run into my arms and know that I'd take care of her."

Olivia sat up, tears pooling in her eyes. Jane swallowed the knot in her throat before taking her daughter's hand in her own. "It's scary makin' an arrest because you and Momma are always on my mind. I know what I have to lose. Usually, it's comforting to know that once we've secured the situation, I get to come home and be with my girls. This time, you were there, in harm's way. This time was terrifying because I knew what was about to happen, and I couldn't do anything to stop it."

The woman pressed a kiss to the child's forehead, thumbing away a tear that had escaped from her crystal blue eyes. "You were there Liv. I had to make sure you were okay. All those other innocent kids too."

Olivia squeezed her mother's hand. "That doesn't mean letting some moron shoot you in the rib."

Jane stared at her daughter for a moment, her pained expression evident. "If that's the only way I can protect you, then yeah, I'm going to take a bullet or two."

The teen winced. "You wanna protect me? Don't ever die on Momma and I in the line of duty. That vest doesn't come off you. Ever. Capiche? "

Jane understood the importance of this discussion, she really did. But after such an emotionally charged day, now was not the time to get into the sacrifices every detective must make now and again in order to fulfill their civic duty. She would never be able to shield her daughter from the harsh realities of her job. So, Jane joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Capiche. Any killing of me will most definitely come from you or your mother."

Taking the bait, Olivia carried on. "Also, you clearly need lessons on how to wrestle. I mean that performance was lackluster at best, Ma. You're seriously harshin' the _'Olivia's got two badass mothers'_ thing I've got going on. A 16-year-old's reputation is very important…"

"Oh, funny girl jokes now."

The blonde tapped her nose. "And while we're at it, maybe you start eating healthier? It'd be nice to not have you dead of a heart attack either. I intend to have you around for quite a while."

"I'm willing to negotiate. Nothing crazy though. I draw the line at tofu." Jane raised a finger in warning.

The women laughed, and Jane fell onto her back, throwing an arm across her brow.

The teen sat cross-legged, facing her mother. She spoke so softly, Jane almost didn't hear her. "I'm still kinda angry with you. I still don't understand."

Jane sighed. "I know. I can't give you any other answer right now other than I did what I had to do. Can you at least understand that?"

"I can try." The young girl nodded. She picked a piece of lint off Jane's shirt. "I think you should check on Momma."

"I was plannin' on it."

A beat, and then: "Hey Ma, one last thing?" Olivia prodded her mother in the shoulder.

Jane turned her head, weary of the wolfish grin plastered on her daughter's face. "Yeah kid?"

"Grandma Rizzoli is gonna be _sooo_ angry when she finds out what happened."

Jane whimpered, pulling a pillow over her head as her daughter bounced on the bed with glee.


	4. Jane and Maura

**Authors Note: Here it is. Last chapter folks. I realize this story was a bit cavity inducing, but hopefully it came off as a balanced and realistic family rather than...not. Again, I do not own these characters. One of these days.**

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><p>Jane collapsed on the couch, resting her head in her wife's lap. Maura dropped her book on the coffee table, delicately running her fingers through the familiar unruly locks splayed over her.<p>

"I can't believe today actually happened."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Maura gently questioned as she smoothed the frown lines from Jane's forehead; her demeanor calm, the only sign of distress that of her trembling hand.

Noticing the tremor, Jane captured the small wrist hovering above her, placing a small kiss on the delicate skin. "How are you holding up?"

The small woman let out a shaky sigh. "Pretty well, all things considered." Maura bit her lip. "It's certainly not every day that your wife _and_ child are involved in an rogue arrest."

"You're a saint, you know that? How you manage to handle this all is just…the amount of emotional baggage I create is..." the detective paused looking up to meet a stern glare.

"Stop. You were doing you job, both as a detective _and_ as a mother. I wouldn't change a thing about our life." As if to reinforce her point, the Medical Examiner bent forward to press an insistent kiss upon Jane's lips. Sighing sadly, she continued, "Sometimes we forget how mortal we all are." Maura bent forward again, this time offering a gentler, lingering kiss.

She pulled back slightly, staring into deep brown eyes. "I'd just appreciate, in the future, if you continue to insist upon these types of family outings, that I be included. As an individual with medical training, it would do wonders for my peace of mind if I was around to render the appropriate medical response."

Jane grinned. "Of course, dear."

The taller woman sat up, tucking a long leg underneath her, allowing her knee to jut out into her wife's lap. "Maur…Does Marino cross your mind every time I'm out in the field?"

Maura froze at her side. "Why do you ask?"

"Watching Liv…it felt like that day. You know she responds to situations exactly like you. You both have a knack for shattering my heart into a million pieces."

Maura picked at her nail. "We've always alluded to this conversation, but we've never actually had it, have we?"

"No, we haven't. But I think we should have it now. Since, you know, we've been avoiding it for the better part of 13 years."

Resigned, the detective's wife placed a hand on the knee resting in her lap. "Yes, whenever you're out there, I do think of...that day. I know you're careful…" Maura paused, dropping her head into her hands, her next words muffled. "I trust you implicitly. Yet, I constantly worry about you. If it's not the fear of the unknown that exhausts me, it's my contradictory emotions."

Jane watched as Maura swallowed hard, her gaze somewhere far off. "I'm so hopelessly in love with you Jane. The fact that I have to sit idly by as the worst of human kind tries to take you away from me it's…sometimes it's more than I can bear. I don't…." the woman broke off as tears streaked down her face.

"Oh honey…" The detective rested her forehead against her wife's temple; hand resting atop the one Maura had resting on her cheek, the other cradling the smaller woman's head.

The medical examiner found her voice again. "I would never ask you to give up your job. I'm not asking you to give up your job. But some days, I'm not strong enough for this. I'm not strong enough for what you and Livie need from me."

Jane pulled back, but kept an arm around Maura's drooping shoulders. "Did I ever tell you that I almost stepped down from the force after the Marino fiasco? "

If Maura was shocked, she didn't show it. "It's certainly understandable, what you, we, went through was extremely traumatic and…"

Jane shook her head. "No. It had nothing to do with any of that."

The medical examiner tilted her head to the side in question.

"It was you. I didn't want to put you through that again."

"Jane…"

The brunette rested her free hand atop the one on her knee. "Wait. Hear me out."

Maura nodded her head in acquiescence.

"I wasn't afraid for myself, I was afraid for you. The first time I went to make an arrest after I was cleared for full duty and found you curled up under your desk when I came back? I hated myself. Like, actually hated myself."

Jane pinched the bridge of her nose, pushing aside the painful memory. "Even then, with snot running down your face and your body convulsing with nerves, you told me I was a stronger, wiser, better detective because of what we went through. You believed that no matter what, I'd come out on top. You stayed strong by my side even when it killed you to do so, and you've been doing so ever since."

The detective smiled softly as she thumbed away falling tears from her wife's face. "I knew I needed to prove to you that I was the person you saw me as. It's your unwavering faith in me that keeps me on my game. You have to believe that I will go to the ends of the earth to make sure I never put you in a position like that again. I told you babe, I'll always come home."

The smaller woman curled up into a ball. "How can you say I'm strong when I can't even give our daughter advice on accepting the realities of your job! I let her down today, Jane. And now I'm let- letting you down."

"Are you kidding? That girl loves you to death. She may run to me when she needs protecting, but you're the one she needs when she's upset and simply needs her Momma." The detective's heart broke as Maura wept at her side. "Maur, the only thing we need is for you to be you. You don't always have to have the answers to everything. You don't always have to pretend my job doesn't bother you. In fact, I'd be worried if it didn't bother you." Jane cooed, reaching over to tilt Maura's chin up, placing a tender kiss on her lips.

Maura let out a small sob as she fell into the kiss. Pulling the distressed woman into her lap, Jane whispering soothingly in her ear. "It's okay to be scared. But you need to talk to me about these things when it gets to be too much. No more pretending it's something we don't think about every damn time I tag a perp."

The medical examiner simply nodded, bawling against Jane's shoulder as she gasped for breath. Jane cried as well, partly in relief that her wife was no longer shouldering the immense responsibility she had self-imposed upon herself.

Eventually, Maura nuzzled Jane's shoulder, drying her tears on a now damp heather gray t-shirt. "This is ridiculous. You're the one who got shot at, yet I'm the one sitting here unable to compose myself."

"Well, you always did have a backwards sense of fear. Big Irish mobster shackles you up in a random van? No big deal. I get a paper cut and you break out the suture kit."

Maura smiled in response, cupping Jane's cheeks to lean in for another kiss.

Jane brushed a strand of hair behind the now significantly calmer woman perched in her lap. "I'm so fucking exhausted. I'm fine. Olivia's fine. You're fine. That's all I need to know for tonight. Bed time?"

The Medical Examiner climbed off the detective's lap, holding out a hand to pull the woman up. "Of course. Big spoon or little spoon?"

"Neither. We've got 100 pounds of leggy teen hoggin' up the middle of our bed."

Maura clapped giddily. "Oh good, she's a much more pleasant sleeping companion than you are."

Jane stared in jest. "Unbelievable! I'll just sleep on the couch then. Wouldn't want to crowd the party."

Maura snaked her arms around the detective's waist. "There's always room for you."

"That's what I thought." Jane chuckled as they made their way to the bedroom.

As the women slipped into their respective sides of the bed, Olivia's hand flopped on top of Jane's face, patting heavily. "Ooof. Christ, kid that's my face."

"Just checking" came the muffled reply as Olivia threw a leg across Maura, tucking her head in the crook of the pathologist's neck.

Jane sat up, looking incredulously over at Maura. "What was that you said about her being a better sleeping companion?"

Maura affectionately kissed the top of the teen's head. "Leave my baby alone".

"Yeah Ma, leave her baby alone" Olivia parroted, the words thick with sleep.

Leaning across her daughter, Jane kissed Maura goodnight, before dropping another kiss to the teen's head. As Jane snuggled into the bed, she slung her arm across her daughter and her wife, sighing contentedly as Maura's hand sought out her own to interlace their fingers.

Her life may lean towards crazy, Jane thought as she slipped closer to the edge of sleep, but moments like this? Yeah, moments like this made it all worth it.

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><p><strong>Author's Note 2:<strong>

**I struggled here. A lot. But I firmly believe Maura and Jane wouldn't have directly discussed the impact the Marino shooting had on the fears each woman may have accumulated as a result of that day: that is, as the show stands right now. I could see it being very in character for them to gloss over it, trying to put it in the past and only fleetingly talking about it (a la Hoyt) but always having it in the back of their minds; the fact that they both know what the other is thinking, but never actually vocalizing their acute understanding of the other. Though I could be completely wrong, in which case, that sucks. Because even in my own imagined Rizzoli & Isles universe, I try to keep it as close to the characters as possible. **

**Anyway, that's my long ramble to essentially say, thanks for reading!**


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